The four bands included, tripped out as they are, can hardly account for the amount of space traversed. Italy’s Black Rainbows, led by guitarist/vocalist Gabriele Fiori — whose own contributions to European psychedelia include running the label issuing this release, Heavy Psych Sounds and assembling this year’s inaugural Totem Psych Fest, taking place this summer outside of Rome (more info here) — unite with Brooklyn heavy space rockers and past tourmates Naam, well-kept New York secret outfit White Hills and bluesy Baltimore explorers The Flying Eyes for a 2LP gatefold four-way split featuring a side from each. All four groups work regularly in pretty extended forms, so you basically get a song or two from each, but still, the fact that they all got together and combined their efforts for this release makes it something special, the limited numbers of the vinyl and various colors (as well as a CD version) having been pressed in time for this year’s Desertfest, at which Black Rainbows also appeared. Everyone involved shares an obvious affinity for heavy psychedelic rock, but as one would hope for a release of this nature, there are also four distinct takes presented across the split — the official title of which is Heavy Psych Sounds 4-Way Split Vol. I— and each band takes advantage of an opportunity to bliss out in their own way, beginning with Naam — who’ve spent significant time on tour in Europe both before and after issuing their latest album, 2013’s Vow(review here) — on their two tracks, “Skyscraper (Ambient Mix)” and “Thickening Web,” which are included as side 1A leading off the 51-minute double-LP.

Its title is a dead giveaway, but “Skyscraper (Ambient Mix)” is a reworking of Vowhighlight “Skyscraper,” and what was a landmark on the ultra-spacey sophomore full-length from the Brooklyn four-piece arises on the Heavy Psych Sounds split as a stripped-down wash of effects, elements dropping in and out over the course of its seven-plus minutes, guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lee Lugar‘s voice barely distinct for the reverb it carries, a slow, mellow progression playing out behind given further depth between the high and low end thanks to a swirl of effects. “Skyscraper” proper was not short on ambience, between the guitar, John Weingarten‘s keys, John Preston Bundy‘s bass and Eli Pizzuto‘s percussive roll, but “Skyscraper (Ambient Mix)” — on which engineer/mixer Jeff Berner has added some instrumentation as well — feels thoroughly reworked and comes across experimental enough to make the original seem straightforward in comparison. With a fuller-sounding instrumental stretch to over eight minutes, “Thickening Web” furthers the atmosphere of the opener while building on it, Weingarten coming to the fore in a dreamy midsection as the bass, guitar and drums fade out and back in around his keys. There’s a build at work and constant movement, but Naam still evoke a laid back feel, which is all the more fitting leading into White Hills‘ experimental 11-minute “They’ve Got Blood… Like You’ve Got Blood,” presented here as an alternate version to what appeared as the title-track of the 2005 self-released full-length, They’ve Got Blood Like We’ve Got Blood. As much as they’re clearly separate entities with their own sonic aims, a linear flow is present as well, and White Hills further Naam‘s sprawling ambience and percussive undertones with engrossing space-drones and an ending movement with lo-fi techno beats and organ leadout. You’ve got four psych bands all contributing to the release. It was bound to get weird at some point.

And if you’ve ever found yourself missing earlier Nebula‘s blend of stoner riffs and psychedelic effects, Black Rainbows tap that nostalgia perfectly throughout “Viper Tongue” and “Minor Monster Galaxy Message,” balancing jams and structures gorgeously off each other on their spaciest recordings yet to start the second of the two LPs. Effects, lead layers, swirl and even some synth from Fiori contribute to the otherworldly feel, but the song has a solid rhythmic foundation from bassist Dario Iocca and drummer Alberto Croce, and it grooves like classic stoner rock should, leaving “Minor Monster Galaxy Message” to show off Black Rainbows‘ jammier side. There are some vocalizations toward the end — or at least what sound like them — but no lyrics as such, and listening, it’s amazing to think how far they’ve traveled stylistically since their 2007 debut, Twilight in the Desert, the vibe on the second of their two cuts rivaling any psych jamming I’ve heard from Europe to this point, easy to get lost in even on a release like this, which by its very nature requires some measure of compartmentalizing. Closing out, Baltimore upstarts The Flying Eyes return the split somewhat to the earth, their naturalist fuzz still more than heavy psych enough to make the cut but definitely traditionally structured across “Golden Grey” and “Evil Little Leslie,” their hooks serving them well in an efficient 10 minutes that’s the shortest of the four bands included. Of course, that’s speaking relatively, since their guitars catch plenty of air along the way, and while they make their way through verses and choruses, they do so with a fluidity no less molten than was Black Rainbows‘ prior jam. The six-minute finale they provide with “Evil Little Leslie” pushes further into mostly-instrumental terrain, a last build capping with righteous fuzz in a classic payoff for their time. Usually it’s difficult enough to put two bands together on the same release and have it even moderately work. This split presents four individualized band personae within heavy psychedelic rock, places them in order for maximum flow between them, and is obviously the result of a passion that knows no borders, geographic or creative. It is as admirable a concept as it is grooving a finished product, and if this really is Vol. Iof an ongoing series, then I can’t wait to see what the sequel brings.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Reviews.
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